Landowners against the Dakota Access pipeline are trying one last legal maneuver to force developers to pull the pipe out of the ground.

A judge heard arguments Thursday in a lawsuit brought by the Northwest Iowa Landowners Association and five separate landowners against the pipeline.

"If you're going to use the power of eminent domain in Iowa, the person using the acquiring agency has to be accountable to the people who you're taking the land from,” said Bill Hanigan, the lawyer representing landowners in the lawsuit.

Lawyers argued several points before Judge Jeff Farrell, the authority of the Iowa Utilities Board.

"Judicial review must be an effective check on agency action, otherwise there's no purpose in being here,” said Wallace Taylor, the lawyer for the Sierra Club.

Bret Dublinske, the lawyer for Dakota Access, said the service the pipeline will provide warrants its construction.

"So what is the service?” Dublinske said. “The service here, and as it is with most common carriers, is the transport between two points."

Hanigan argued that the negative impact on landowners outweighs the services the pipeline will provide.

“I know this argument has been presented to you that, ‘Gosh, the landowners, they still get to farm the land on top and it's just a temporary taking,’ but it's not,” Hanigan said. “That thing is in the ground.”

Landowner Keith Puntenney told KCCI that he has had to change all future plans for his farm due to the pipeline’s construction.

"Those of us that had land taken by eminent domain want to set a precedent that nobody can come in that's a private business and take other private business land for their particular purpose,” Puntenney said.

Lawyers representing landowners want eminent domain to be overturned and have the developers remove the pipeline.

Construction of the pipeline is complete in Iowa. The lawyer representing the landowners said someone will likely appeal the judge's decision, which could move the lawsuit to the Court of Appeals.